In week nine of the US Chess League, the Miami Sharks dealt
the Chicago Blaze their first loss of the season, thanks to three time MVP GM
Julio Becerra outplaying GM Josh Friedel on the top board. This gives the
Sharks excellent playoff chances going into the final week, as they are
currently tied for third place and have good tiebreaks. The San Francisco
Mechanics and Dallas Destiny, who are also currently tied for third place, drew
a hard fought match with each other and are going to go all out next week to
make it into the postseason. The Los Angeles Vibe were able to clinch second
place in the division after drawing their match with the Arizona Scorpions.
Rounding out the West, the Seattle Sluggers were eliminated from playoff contention
after a draw with the Saint Louis Arch Bishops.

In the Eastern Division the fight continued for the last two
playoff spots (Philadelphia and New York have already clinched). The Boston
Blitz defeated the Baltimore Kingfishers 3-1 to knock Baltimore out of
contention and to jump into clear third place. The New England Nor'easters were
able to finally recover from their very slow start this season by beating the
Carolina Cobras to snatch a share of fourth place, along with the Manhattan
Applesauce, who lost to the Philadelphia Inventors. Lastly, the New Jersey
Knockouts salvaged some pride for the season by upsetting the New York Knights
to hurt New York's attempts to wrestle the division title away from
Philadelphia. Coincidentally, Philadelphia and New York face each other in the
final week of the regular season.